Drug rackets luring female carriers to expand network in Kerala
KOCHI: In June this year, acting on a tip-off, a police team arrested a woman at the Aluva railway station with a kilogram of MDMA, valued at over Rs 50 lakh. The woman, identified as Sarmeen Akhtar, 26, from Bengaluru, was a regular drug smuggler, according to the police.
The arrest was made by a combined team from the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) and the Aluva police under their special operation named ‘Operation Clean’.
The MDMA had been smuggled from Delhi, concealed inside a heater, and was intended for sale to youths.
Officers with the Ernakulam Rural police revealed that Sarmeen frequently returned to Delhi the same day after delivering the drugs. That was one of the largest single-drug seizures made by the Ernakulam Rural Police and DANSAF, said an officer.
In a separate case, on the night of March 5, two persons, including a woman, were arrested by the Elamakkara police in Kochi with 57.65grams of MDMA. The suspects, Mohammed Roshan, 28, from Edavanakkad, and Sruthy P, 24, from Athani, were staying at an apartment in Karukappilly.
Police, acting on a tip-off, raided the apartment and found 16 zip lock bags containing MDMA hidden above a kitchen chimney. A nano weighing machine and a glass pipe used for smoking the drug were also recovered. Investigators suspect the duo were part of a larger drug racket, and deeper investigations are on.
Last year, the mother of a Class 8 student allegedly used as a drug carrier approached the High Court, seeking a CBI investigation into the issue of schoolchildren being lured into drug abuse and trafficking. She stated that her daughter, a vibrant and active participant in the Student Cadet Police and sports events at a Kozhikode district school, began exhibiting unusual behaviour in October 2022 – becoming indifferent, angry, quarrelsome, and disobedient.
Though the mother noticed these changes, she couldn’t pinpoint the cause. Then, on November 24, teachers informed her that her daughter had been found in the school washroom in an intoxicated state, with her uniform completely soaked.
When the mother arrived at the school, the headmistress, class teacher, and others said that the girl had claimed someone made her inhale a white powder, which caused her to vomit several times. Despite this, neither the police nor Childline were notified of the incident.
Later, the girl confided that, in early October, she had been introduced to drugs by a Class 9 student who gave her drug-laced biscuits during sports practice. Soon after, a Plus One student befriended her and started giving her MDMA. These girls introduced her to an outsider and eventually to a youth. Once she was fully addicted, they took her along with two other girls to Thalassery and Mahe for drug smuggling.
During the period, she met another member of the drug racket, who taught her to create blade-cut injuries on her wrist to administer MDMA for intoxication. The mafia also marked her toe with identification signs during the trafficking process. She was beaten and threatened with death, leaving her deeply traumatised and depressed. Her mother believed the girl would never recover and approached the HC.
These incidents expose a troubling trend of drug gangs recruiting female carriers to expand their networks. With synthetic drug abuse rising in Kerala, cases involving women and minors are increasing too. Female carriers are often preferred by drug peddlers, who believe they can avoid stricter inspections.
These women carriers – often lured into smuggling under the guise of romantic relationships – typically use public transportation routes, such as interstate buses and trains, for smuggling. Once entangled, they are forced to continue trafficking through threats, including of exposure of their nude videos on social media.
Drugs entering Kerala primarily come from Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai, and Goa, targeting students, professionals, and even celebrities. Narcotics that cost Rs 5,000 per gram at the source are sold for double that amount in the state, with prices varying based on quality and demand.
In reply to an RTI query to the excise department, which is in possession of TNIE, 30 women have been arrested under the NDPS Act in 29 cases across the state this year, up to July.
Additionally, 35 minors have also been arrested. The figures suggest a significant surge in the involvement of women and juveniles since 2022, as only 24 women and 16 juveniles were arrested in 2021.
Ernakulam Deputy Excise Commissioner T M Maju said in some cases women are not only carriers but operators of the smuggling too.
“Excise sleuths are detecting several narcotic cases involving women, especially in Kochi. There is a practical difficulty in body examination of women during a preliminary suspicion and the women drug peddlers are exploiting this situation to hoodwink the enforcement authorities," Maju said.
"Besides, the authorities often don’t want to disturb families during vehicle checks and the women peddlers, in the guise of family, evade checks. However, the excise have stepped up checks in suspicious situations and several cases are being detected now,” Maju added.
This year, of the 30 arrested, Ernakulam and Malappuram districts top the list with seven women each arrested by the excise while five each are from Kollam and Palakkad districts.
The women and minors are now largely focused on the smuggling of synthetic drugs, and the seizure of the contraband substantiate this fact.
The statistics with Kerala Police also cited that an increase since 2021. As per their figures, 14 women and four juveniles were arrested that year in narcotic cases.
In 2023, this number went up to 61 women and 16 juveniles, respectively, said the RTI reply.
A senior police officer said that women are often used to lure young girls into the world of substance abuse. They begin by befriending schoolgirls and gradually expose them to dangerous drugs.
“In many cases, boys are also involved, using their relationships to draw their girlfriends into this trap,” he added.
While there has been a rise in drug cases involving women and children, an officer pointed out that their involvement in the overall scheme of things is meagre, considering that 21,965 people were arrested in 2023 by Kerala Police.
South Zone IG S Shyamsundar said, “Of the drug cases registered by Kochi police last year, 30% cases were those involving women. Of them, 90 per cent are young women below the age of 30. Basically, these youths get involved in drug peddling for easy money.”